Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum

When you talk about the progress of the aviation industry in Dubai, it’s truly amazing to think about all the significant milestones that this vital economic sector has achieved.

These phenomenal achievements have not come out of nothing, but are the fruits of the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which has enabled the aviation industry in Dubai to reach ever greater heights.

We are progressing briskly on our plans to build the biggest airport in the world, and the passenger terminal of our second international airport will become operational in October 2013. Also operational now is Concourse A, the world’s first terminal dedicated solely for A380 aircrafts.

Dubai celebrated 75 years of its ‘Open Skies’ policy, which has created vast avenues of growth since it was launched in 1937. Our skies are open for everyone, and we allow fair competition so that all in the industry may have their share of the high-potential aviation market.

As a result of the liberal aviation policy, Dubai recently overtook Hong Kong as the world’s third busiest international airport, and soon after surpassed Paris Charles de Gaulle in the ACI rankings to become the world’s second busiest international airport.

In the first two months of this year, Dubai International recorded 13 per cent growth in passenger numbers. This continued growth will bring us much closer to our dream of becoming the world’s busiest airport for international passengers. We are not resting on our laurels. We are continually working toward many more milestones. The unending endeavor to turn our dreams into reality requires commitment, passion and teamwork – qualities which we have in abundance, as reflected in the dynamism that Dubai possesses.

I would like to express my pleasure at the efforts of everyone in Dubai for the aviation industry’s success story, though we cannot be complacent. We must continue to meet the challenges ahead, and brace ourselves to continue our journey of success and excellence.
Via Dubai is Dubai Civil Aviation Authority’s (DCAA) latest achievement.

I am proud that this knowledge-sharing initiative will help in creating better understanding and networking for industry stakeholders, and is an ideal tool to share with you our achievements, expansion programmes, future plans and goals for the aviation industry.
I congratulate Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) for the success of this new bilingual monthly newsletter.